Things Tighten Up In Top-5 Of NCAA DI Men’s ITF Rankings

NEW ORLEANS — The first weekend of conference-championship action shook up the top-5 of the newest NCAA Division I Men’s Indoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings, which were released Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

With a little more than two weeks remaining until the 2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships, Florida is still the No. 1 team in the nation. But behind the Gators sit new-No. 2 Arkansas, No. 3 Oregon, new-No. 4 Georgia and No. 5 Texas A&M.

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NCAA Division I National Team Rankings Top 5 – Men

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The distance between the Gators and the Razorbacks isn’t as much as it was last week when the Ducks trailed Florida. Right now the Gators own an 8.6-point advantage (153.59-144.99) compared to its 27.07-point edge from last week (156.49-129.42).

Arkansas jumped Oregon thanks to a strong effort this past weekend. The Razorbacks tuned up for the SEC Indoor Championships in a big way. Ken Legassey moved into 3rd place on the NCAA DI Descending Order List in the high jump (2.22m/7-3¼). Travonn White is now 5th when it comes to the long jump, giving the Razorbacks two top-10 athletes in that event. Arkansas’ DMR team got the baton around in 9:30.04cf (9:37.78), which place them 5th on the NCAA DI Descending Order List and all-but assured them a spot in the final at NCAAs.

Georgia jumped two spots to match its best ranking in program history following a weekend that saw Kendal Williams shine. The sophomore from Jacksonville, Florida tied the national lead in the 60 with a time of 6.51, which also tied him as the 8th best performer in collegiate history. Williams is right up there with Tennessee’s Christian Coleman, who had been alone atop the leaderboard until this past weekend.

Kansas hit a new high-water mark as it jumped from No. 8 to No. 6. The Jayhawks were aided by their 4×400 team that is now 7th on the NCAA DI Descending Order List.

Alabama surged into the top-10 for the 1st time since Week 2 when it jumped from No. 20 to No. 9. The Crimson Tide now have the 2nd fastest 4×400 team in the nation as they ran 3:04.73 OT this past weekend.

Indiana vaulted from No. 18 to No. 10 and attained its best rank since Week 6 of 2013 (7th). The Hoosiers put together a strong DMR effort with Daniel Kuhn (3rd at 800 meters) and Kyle Mau and is now 2nd in the nation with their time of 9:28.14 OT.

Other movers and shakers in the top-25 include Washington, Oklahoma State and Stanford. Each of those teams moved up multiple spots as the Huskies went from No. 23 to No. 19, the Cowboys went from No. 22 to No. 20 and the Cardinal jumped from No. 26 to No. 22. The latter two improved on the legs of its DMR teams.

If you thought we saw a lot of movement in Week 5, just wait until Week 6 since it’s right after the major conferences hold their championships.

This will all pale in comparison to what we’ll see March 10-11 in College Station, Texas at the 2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships.